Hurt Raina skips lunch, coach Prasad terms axe "unfortunate"

Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh captain Suresh Raina was so hurt after learning about his ouster from the Test squad, that he decided to skip lunch on the final day of his team`s Ranji Trophy game against Delhi, prompting his state team coach Venkatesh Prasad to term it as "unfortunate."

A source in the UP dressing room informed that once Raina got the news of his omission, he was not in a mood to have food and literally went into a shell.

"He was very sad and told his teammates that he is not in a mood to eat. He is a very bubbly character in the dressing room and suddenly went very quiet. He also didn`t stay back to collect the mementos presented by the Ghaziabad District Cricket Association and left immediately after UP had won," the source told PTI on Monday.

While batting at number three, he scored 37 that set up UP`s victory.

Prasad also seemed pretty unhappy with the decision.

"I think it`s really unfortunate that Suresh Raina is not there in the Indian team. I think if someone is given a chance at the Test level, he should be given a long rope to prove himself. Also he is a terrific player and had scored a fine half-century against New Zealand.

"He played a very crucial knock today. They were bowling to a 7-2 field yet he played some terrific shots," Prasad told the reporters after the match.